BookBrowse Reviews Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay

A laugh-out-loud narrative that's as chaotic and lovable as the Casson household itself. Ages 9+

Comment: Indigo's Star is a follow up to Saffy's Angel, but I don't see any critical reason to read the one before the other. Saffy' Angel introduced what Publisher's Weekly describe as this 'spirited English family' headed up by scatterbrained Eve - who paints pictures of anything that will pay and Bill, her increasingly absentee husband - a 'real' artist who lives in his studio in London.

The four Casson children are all named after colors on the paint chart, 19-year old Caddy (Cadmium), Saffy (Saffron), Indigo (the only boy, 12 years old) and 8-year-old Rose. As the titles suggest, the first book focused on Saffy but this time Indigo and Rose take center stage. Indigo is being bullied at school and Rose is determined to help him; she's also determined to persuade her father to come home.

As School Library Journal says, 'while the story may be somewhat short on plot and a bit facile in its treatment of the issue of bullying, McKay's sly humor, deft characterization, and brisk pacing more than compensate. Readers will love revisiting the chaotic but loving Casson household.'

Booklist comments that 'some references, particularly those that foreshadow the Casson parents' marital strains, may fly over the heads of young readers. But the author unerringly dissects the politics of bullying and a family's complicated layers of love and anger in an often laugh-out-loud narrative that's as chaotic and lovable as the Casson household itself.'

This review first ran in the February 3, 2006 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.